What It's Good For: Watching TV shows, movies and web video content on the big screen. The Boxee Box is unique in the connected device space, because it can deliver content both from the web and from a home network.

Who It's Good For: Media lovers with lots of movie, music and TV show downloads and would-be cord cutters. Because it's more expensive than an Apple TV or Roku, the device is really aimed at those users that have extensive media collections on a home network and those that like to access other third-party content services.

Limitations: Although the Boxee Box comes with a web browser for enjoying full-screen web video, there aren't dedicated apps for most major TV networks or for Hulu Plus. There is no native storage built into the device, though users can connect an external USB hard drive, SD card or USB thumb-drive for accessing content not on a network. The remote control, while great to hold and easy to use, is hard to see in the dark — especially when using the QWERTY side.

Bottom Line: With the latest 1.1 firmware update, the Boxee Box is finally ready for prime time. Apps supporting commercial and subscription content are finally available in large quantities and the out-of-the-box support for local files across a network is unparalleled. The new Boxee web browser is one of the best implementations we've seen for surfing the web on the big screen.

A Look at the Boxee Box by D-Link

When the Boxee Box launched in November, we were really excited to get the device in our hands and give it a try. As a longtime fan of the Boxee media center software, I was really looking forward to seeing what D-Link and Boxee could do with their own dedicated hardware.

The Boxee Box immediately went head-to-head with the new Apple TV, the Roku XDS and the Google TV. On paper, Boxee had everything going for it — except for price. At $199.99, the Boxee Box costs twice as much as the Apple TV and is $120 more than the mid-level Roku XD.

The software — the heart and soul of the Boxee experience — had some issues at launch. Many of the early bugs were fixed, but the bigger problem was that content wasn't fully available at launch. Longtime Boxee users like myself were disappointed to see services that worked on our Mac mini setups — especially Netflix — unavailable on the Boxee Box.

Fast-forward six months and it is a totally different experience. Not only is the software more stable and more responsive, the content choices are increasing all the time.

In addition to Netflix, users can access content from VUDU, MUBI, TED, YouTube, SnagFilms and dozens of other sources.

The latest update includes a new HTML5 app that works beautifully with the HBO GO experience. In fact, an increasing number of Boxee Box apps are being built with HTML5, which opens up the content possibilities even further. For content (read: Hulu) that isn't available in its own app, the web browsing experience on the Boxee Box is quite good. To me, it represents everything that Google TV should have been, but wasn't.

We wish the remote control glowed in the dark (or had backlit keys) and that an official Hulu Plus app was available for the Boxee Box, but as it stands, this is the only device in its class that can access web content while also serving up local MKV, AVI and MP4 files from across a home network. For the home theater or gadget enthusiast, the Boxee Box continues to get better and better.

Boxee Box by D-Link

The Boxee Box

Looks can be deceiving. The unique shape of the device may look like most pieces of home theater equipment, but it's small, unobtrusive and can easily be hidden in a corner or behind a sofa or chair.

Side Connections

The Boxee Box also has built-in WiFi and can accept full-size SD/MMC cards.

Bottom View

The bottom of the Boxee Box is made of soft rubber, which means it won't scuff up your hardwood floors.

The accent of "Boxee Green" is a nice touch.

Boxee Remote

The Boxee remote is really like two remotes in one. The standard size has two buttons and a navigation pad.

On the other side of the remote is a QWERTY-style keyboard. The buttons are soft to the touch and are easy to press. It makes entering in show names or passwords much faster than navigating around a TV menu. The one downside: It's very difficult to see the keys in a dark or dimly lit room.

Fortunately, iOS and Android devices can also be used as a remote control.

Photo courtesy of D-Link

Boxee Home Screen

The home screen of the software is inviting and should look familiar to those that have used Boxee on the Mac or PC. There are a few UI changes, but menus and sections have been designed for easy access with a remote control.

Photo courtesy of Boxee

HBO GO on Boxee

If your cable provider supports HBO GO, you can enjoy your favorite current and classic HBO programs and movies on the Boxee Box.

Thanks to HTML5 and the new and improved Boxee web browser, watching an episode of Game of Thrones or True Blood is just a remote click away.

Photo courtesy of Boxee

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